Chapter 41: Production

"Yes, yes," the woman nodded heavily, though her vacant eyes clearly showed she had not yet fully recovered her wits.

Shen Tubai felt a pang of despair. "Is there no one else who can come up?"

The woman thought of the heavy purse of reward money in Chunchan's hand and hurriedly nodded, "Madam, give me another chance. I can do it, I truly can!"

Hearing her cry, Li Tinghan stepped forward as well, explaining with a troubled expression, "I've already sent people to fetch a physician and a midwife, but the journey is long and it will take some time. Among the women who have given birth, she is already the bravest."

Not expecting him to approach, Shen Tubai turned her head away. "A woman is in labor; a man entering will only bring bad luck."

Li Tinghan grinned foolishly. "This is my own child; I don't believe in such superstitions."

"This humble monk has studied some medical arts under my master. If Madam does not mind, perhaps this humble monk may assist you with the delivery," a voice from outside the carriage broke Shen Tubai's train of thought.

Following the sound, she looked out to see a monk standing amidst the crowd with his palms pressed together in greeting. It was Liaoji.

A wave of shock washed over Shen Tubai. Without a second thought, she rejected him. "No."

As time dragged on, the sweat on Shen Tubai's forehead multiplied. Contraction followed contraction, yet the child within her showed no intention of shifting downward.

The surrounding onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

"Whose wife is this? It's one thing for a man to go in while she's giving birth, but now a monk is going in too?"

"Ain't that the truth? When a woman labors, only midwives should be going in and out. Even the least particular families wait outside. Judging by the carriage, this is a wealthy household—if a monk goes in while she's giving birth, how can she ever show her face in public again?"

"Exactly. If it were me, I'd rather die of the pain than let a monk deliver the baby and ruin my reputation."

Hearing the murmurs around them, Li Tinghan couldn't help but hesitate.

After a long moment, he still turned to Liaoji and said, "I must trouble you, Master."

"No," Shen Tubai refused sharply. The sight of Liaoji instantly brought back the humiliation and distress of their previous encounters. He was a man of the Cui family, and where he was, nothing good ever followed.

Shen Tubai dared not lower her guard against him in the slightest. She stared at him fixedly, terrified he might seize the opportunity to harm her child.

Li Tinghan's grip on her hand suddenly tightened. "Didn't you say it yourself? How can chastity ever be more important than life? If I don't mind, why do you? Master, please..."

Stunned by his words, Shen Tubai was momentarily speechless. By the time she snapped back to reality, Liaoji was already seated inside the carriage, reaching out to grasp her wrist.

"Wait! Chunchan, Chunchan!" Shen Tubai shouted.

Hearing the call, Chunchan hurried over in a small trot.

Shen Tubai instructed, "Take him down and search him thoroughly. Search his entire body from head to toe, and take off his prayer beads—he is not allowed to wear them. The moment the child is born, you are to hold them securely and not let go until we return to the Prince's Estate. Do you understand?"

Shen Tubai made no attempt to conceal her suspicion of Liaoji, causing Li Tinghan, standing outside the carriage, to curl his toes in embarrassment.

Yet Liaoji merely smiled with composed detachment, showing no anger whatsoever at Shen Tubai's discourteous behavior.

He cooperatively washed his hands and surrendered everything he was carrying on his person before asking with a smile, "Can Madam rest assured now?"

Shen Tubai remained silent, her gaze still filled with suspicion.

Liaoji, however, reached out and pressed his fingers against her pulse. "Madam is in robust health; bringing this child into the world will not require much effort."

Shen Tubai glared at him irritably. "As if I needed you to tell me."

Whether due to psychological suggestion or something else, the moment Liaoji's voice trailed off, labor truly commenced for Shen Tubai. This wave of pain was far more intense than any before it.

Before long, the experienced woman cried out, "The baby is coming! The baby's head is crowning!"

Mimicking the birth attendants instinctively, she shouted, "Madam, push! Push hard! Inhale! Exhale! Take a deep breath!"

Shen Tubai followed her rhythm, her chest rising and falling. In less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea, the cry of a newborn echoed inside the carriage.

Liaoji withdrew his silver needles without a sound.

Remembering Shen Tubai's strict orders, Chunchan wasted no time. The moment the woman cut the umbilical cord, she wrapped the infant securely and tried to pull the baby into her arms.

Seeing the way she held the infant, the woman hurriedly stopped her. "No, no, that's not how you hold a baby."

Under the woman's guidance, Chunchan stiffly adjusted her grip and cradled the newborn properly.

During this period, following closely beside Shen Tubai, Chunchan had learned a great deal about infants. Remembering how other newborns emerged all wrinkled with a bluish-purple tinge, yet her young mistress's baby had snow-white skin and hair even darker and glossier than anyone else's, she couldn't help beaming with joy.

"Master, look! How pretty the little master is, and crying louder than anyone else!" Shen Tubai parted the swaddling clothes, glanced at her child, and smiled knowingly.

Waiting beneath the carriage, Li Tinghan couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Only then did Chunchan remember she hadn't checked the baby's gender yet. She parted the swaddling blankets, but instead of answering immediately, she cast a troubled look at Shen Tubai.

"It's a girl," Shen Tubai answered for her directly. She had anticipated this outcome long ago; whether boy or girl, it made no difference to her love for the child.

Outside the carriage, there was a brief second of silence before Li Tinghan's slightly disappointed voice rang out, "A girl is fine too. A girl is fine too."

Supported by the woman, Shen Tubai sat up, wanting to hold her child for a moment.

At that exact instant, sudden chaos erupted. For reasons unknown, the two horses were startled and bolted wildly forward out of control.

A wave of dizziness washed over Shen Tubai as a fresh surge of warm blood rushed from her body. She heard the shouts of the crowd outside shoving one another to clear a path from the carriage, and she heard Li Tinghan running frantically behind the carriage, calling her name over and over.

A gentle breeze lifted the carriage curtain, allowing her to see through the gap that the carriage was hurtling step by step toward the city wall.

Yet she was too exhausted; she could think of no other way out. In this moment of crisis, the only thing Shen Tubai could do was wrap her arms tightly around her child, shielding the baby beneath her body.

"Whoa—" A sharp neigh pierced the air from outside the carriage.

The anticipated impact never came. Shen Tubai opened her eyes to see Liaoji gripping the reins with all his might, the leather straps seemingly sinking into his flesh and bone.

Li Tinghan arrived a beat too late, asking anxiously, "Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?"

Exhausted, Shen Tubai shook her head, handed the child over to him, and then lost consciousness, no longer able to hold on.

Shen Tubai had been traveling for days without proper rest; simply enduring the childbirth was already a testament to her extraordinary willpower, let alone surviving a runaway carriage.

Seeing her exhausted expression, Li Tinghan dared not risk letting the maddened horses haul her back.

Instead, he paid a hefty sum to hire four sedan-bearers, instructing them to carry the carriage smoothly and steadily all the way back to the Prince Yan Estate.

Mindful that the newborn could not be exposed to the wind, he cradled the swaddling clothes tightly against his chest and boarded another carriage to return home.